How not to get your bike stolen: get a shopping basket

So luckless David Cameron is without his beloved bike again. Last July, the silver-and-black hybrid was nicked after he left it chained to a bollard so he could pick up "a few bits of salad" (he got it back soon after, courtesy of a local community elder). This time it's been evicted from the railings outside his west London home. Probably, it's no more than average cyclists' luck (it was estimated last year that in Britain, a bike is stolen every 65 seconds), but is there anything the Tory leader should be doing to improve his odds?

The simple answer, of course, is to stick a shopping basket on the front. "Even bike thieves have street cred," says Yannick Read of ilovemybike.co.uk, implying there's something unhip about riding around with a large wicker receptacle on your handlebars. But since Cameron is so desperate to have "street cred" too, perhaps he should try these top security tips instead ...

• Invest 10-20% of the cost of your bike on the lock. "I don't think it's possible to overemphasise just how bad some locks are," says Read. The Department of Transport recommends a hardened steel D-lock as the minimum protection, and bike theft insurance is conditional on an acceptable standard of lock. Use two locks. A good D-lock can be forced apart with a car jack, and the thickest chains can be cut by the biggest bolt cutter. But use one of each and the thief needs both tools.

• Then make sure you lock it properly. Put the lock through the frame, and secure it to something immovable (not a bollard, Dave, where the whole bike can be lifted up and over - doh). Leave as little slack in the chain as possible so it's hard for even determined thieves to go to work. Never leave padlocks lying on the ground; they can be whacked open with a sledgehammer.

• Take the value of your bike into account. Cameron's Scott bike was said to be worth £300, but the cheapest Scott road bikes go for £600. The better your bike is, the more trouble a thief will take. Don't park it in the same spot every day, and don't leave it where it's obviously the most expensive bike around. If you spent more than £1,000 on it, don't let it out of your sight.

• Disguise its worth. Some people put tape over the name, or spray paint the frame an ugly colour. "That was a trend started by couriers who were riding high-spec bikes that were vulnerable to theft," says Read. Even if the thieves see through your camouflage, you have probably lowered the resale value of the bike, making it a less attractive target.

• Invest in a folding bike, and take it with you. Or ride a bike that isn't worth stealing. Who are you? Lance Armstrong? You can get a brand new bicycle for £75. The thieves would rather have the lock.